Long Distance Love
by Ecrire
Summary: Updated 21.10.05. Neji and Tenten, is it possible for these two to actually fall in love, with each other? This is my attempt to make it so. No promises, we're talking about Neji here.
1. Meditation

Anotherrambling story arch from the fevered brain of Ecrire. This time it features another favourite pairing Tenten and Neji. Yes, yes I know this is one the least liking pairings in the manga, after all there is very little proof given that the genius even knows that Tenten is female let alone attractive and probably very willing. But, that's like the challenge! Can I make it work? Can I make it believable? Only the god of all unwritten, unplotted story lines knows! So join me for a running leap at turning Neji into a normal hormone driven lad. Well maybe not hormone driven, but the point is he will fall in love with Tenten, eventually, because I am the author, and I say so. I just have to figure out how. Hey not even I am completely all powerful, I refuse the temptation to just wave my magic digital wand and make him fall in love, there's no fun in that!

Disclaimer: All characters borrowed from a mind much more fevered than mine.

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**Meditation**

**Hyuuga Compound, Konoha**

Neji Hyuuga sat in a kneeling position on the porch where he had a habit of kneeling. His face showed only calm concentration. His hands rested without stress on his knees, his arm relaxed but ready to spring into action at the slightest need. His white eyes rested easily on the gently moving leaves of the tree, without seeing them at all.

He was the picture of perfect concentration and relaxation. He neither blinked, nor appeared to breath. Even the birds did not disturb this picture of serenity. A serenity that was often mistaken for coldness or distance. Some said it was because he was the genius who bowed before fate, some said it was because of the history of hate between the main and branch houses. They were wrong.

Ever since he'd fought Naruto Uzumaki, he'd found a new source for his inner serenity. It was no longer the cowardly fatalistic belief of fate than calmed him, it was the peace that came from lacking fear. He no longer feared what the future would bring him, because he no longer felt himself incapable of changing it. And he knew that even if he failed to change it, it didn't matter because in his heart he was already free.

Neji Hyuuga had learned the secret of self control. Not the common ability to stop his fist a millimetre from its target, nor the necessary ability to swallow his emotions to react with clarity and precision. He had learned the secret that Naruto and Lee, and even Gai Sensei had learned years before. That as long as in your heart you never believed in your defeat, so long as you always believed in the next challenge, so long as you believed the rule that effort would overcome all, he would never fail.

He felt no fear when he contemplated the future, for he was Neji Hyuuga, the unstoppable genius of the Hyuuga Clan.

Even now when his team was out on mission without him, he felt no fear for their return. Gai sensei was one of the top ranked shinobi in Konoha, even with his ridiculous behaviour Neji reconised the force that pushed Gai to be the best. Above even the natural genius' of Konoha, Gai sensei had fought his way amoungst them, and he worked harder than all of them to stay there.

Lee, mini Gai sensei in every way, from his lack of natural talent to his bushy eyebrows. Yet there were few shinobi who could best him in hand to hand combat, and he had trained tirelessly to compensate for his other weaknesses. Another who battled endlessly against the handicaps given to him at birth to live the dream he'd decided on. He would battle until he was too old to lift his fist, and he would find a way to battle on even then. Neji bowed before Lee's determination, feeling his own determination weak before the fire burning in Lee.

And that left Tenten. Some tended to overlook the kunoichi, between the three males on her team she tended to blend into the background. Which considering that she prefered to fight from a distance suited her just fine. She was the quiet acheiver of the team. Always just there, keeping up with the others. Noone ever praised her but she worked on none the less, the infatigable support member of the team. Always there to help with training, with life, with everything, smiling never asking anything in return. Untiringly in the background, unfailing.

She was the lone kunai that flew by to nail that last opponant before they nailed you. She was the rain of senbon that gave you the chance to catch your breath before starting the next Kaiten Spin. She was the whipping swordspear reaching out to protect your back when you were pressed by too many attackers and too little chakra. She was the slicing shuriken that cut the trap wires before you ran blindly into them. She was the flying arrow that brought down the other long range specialist currently trying to pick off her teammates. She was Tenten, and he feared not for her.

So when under his activated Byukyugan he saw Gai sensei and Lee land before the gates of Konoha he felt no need to sigh in relief. And when moments later the following Tenten landed beside them having played defense for her team right until the last moment, only the faintest of smiles touched his serene lips.

Gai sensei gave his trademark pose and Lee copied him before rushing back into Konoha. Gai sensei took a moment to say something to Tenten and Neji wished that his Byukyugan gave him the ability to hear at a distance as well. Tenten smiled and said something back, saluting. Gai sensei left with another Jounin and Tenten took a moment to stretch looking up at the sun through the leaves.

"Welcome home." Was all he whispered, before disactivating his Byukyugan and reentering the serenity of his meditation.

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Really trying to stay in character here, so if you notice any OOC please tell me!


	2. Training

Disclaimer: Characters in this piece of fiction are...NOT MINE! Come on, I know you were surprised.

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**Training**

**Training grounds, Konoha**

Neji stood, eyes closed, breathing calm. Centering in his mind his objective for training, he drew the chakra necessary for activating his Byukyugan. Feeling it spread out like ripples in a pond Neji opened his eyes to their fullest extent giving that needed mental push.

"Byukyugan!"

The world went into negative colours, awareness of everything rushing into his mind. Holding his concentration Neji succeeded in finding that centre, that balance that let him see everything without being overwhelmed by it. A chosen filtering of information. He held his position a moment longer before starting the mental rundown of events.

_I will stand here my byukyugan activated, Tenten will be somewhere in the trees. _

Neji extended his vision into the surrounding trees as if searching for his absent teammate.

_She will launch her attack before I can pinpoint her position._

Neji mimed his reaction as imaginary weapons burst out from their hiding places.

_I will wait until the right moment and then I will start the spin._

Neji turned slowly on the spot throwing chakra weakly into his practice spin.

_And Tenten will be surprised._

Smiling in satisfaction Neji opened his eyes releasing his Byukyugan. The world returned to normal. Neji considered warning Tenten about today's change in training, but decided against it. The point of today's training was to try and catch her off guard.

She was the only living person outside of the Hyuuga Clan who understood so much about the Byukyugan. She who had trained against him for years now. She should be ready for it. He felt confident she would be, she was Tenten.

Neji refused to check the time again. She would not be late, she was never late to meet for training. He was just impatient to test his newly strenghtened Kaiten against her weaponed attacks. Even Hiashi-sama had been pleased at the growth his ultimate defense had shown.

Neji smiled faintly, Tenten would be proud of his growth too. He was proud of his growth. Deeming it useless to continue practicing for his coming training session Neji sat down against a tree, pulling his long hair over his shoulder so it didn't catch on the bark.

_Tenten has the right idea with tying her hair up._ Neji thought tugging free the tie to comb through his hair with his fingers.

Just grooming his hair took too long, but he was a Hyuuga, and the Hyuuga had standards when it came to personal grooming. Besides, with his hair long he resembled even more strongly his father, and it was soothing to run his hands through his hair. The gentle tug on his scalp, the feel of the silky texture against his own skin. It was one of his favourite memories of his father, the feel of his father's hair brushing against Neji's fingers the few times Hizashi allowed his son a rare moment of physical affection. The feel of his father's long hair brushing against Neji's forehead when he kissed him goodnight.

Taking a sip from his water bottle, Neji tugged on his forehead protector with his free hand. It slipped free and Neji sighed in relief. He scratched at the spot absently, rubbing away the feeling of trapped sweat. He would sometimes leave it uncovered, but only when he was around those who already knew about it. He was trying to learn to live with it, instead of pretending it didn't exist, instead of focusing all his hatred on it. It was carved into his very skin, hating it was the same as hating himself, he'd realised, he had enough things holding him back without adding to them. The curse seal couldn't hold him back, he wouldn't let it.

Naruto had promised that when he was Hokage he would change it. Neji hoped he would, it would be better. Until then, Neji had training to do, strength to acquire, wings to try.

And he felt free today, his current progress with the Kaiten had put him into an unusually good mood. He looked up through the trees watching the sunlight, slowly he closed his eyes running through the training just _one_ last time before she got there. He wanted to have everything perfect.

_Tenten will be somewhere in the trees._

For a change he imagined himself beside Tenten. Sometimes he did this, to try and understand his own attacks better. He saw her crouching silently in the trees waiting for him to activate his Byukyugan. Her hand played restlessly with her kunai, a habit he'd been trying to break her of. In his head, he reached out and stilled that bouncing hand willing patience into her. She calmed under his touch and narrowed her eyes looking down on Neji below her. In the clearing Neji stood relaxed, sinking slowly into his meditation phase.

Tenten turned her head minutetly and looked at her traps. In his head he saw again her quick hands deftly tying the trip wires, the seriousness of her face as she prepared herself for the attack. Her eyes returned to Neji, watching from her hiding place. Neji looked down onto his imagined self. He saw the length of his hair, the stance he took, the way the loose light coloured clothing he wore hid muscularity of his body. Everything about him was hidden. Just by looking at him you would think he was doing nothing more than enjoying the sunlight.

But he knew that Tenten knew differently, she could tell the difference between Neji at rest and Neji preparing his Byukyugan. She tensed again and her hand started that annoying jiggling again. Again Neji reached out to calm her. He really did have to speak to her about that. Even in his imagination it was starting to annoy him.

There, somehow Tenten had picked up on the infintesimal signals that indicated the activation of the Byukyugan. She reacted instantly before the extending vision could find her, slicing the control wire for her traps. Springing into action Neji followed her, knowing her movements exactly from the hundreds of times he'd trained against her, the hundreds of times the Byukyugan had revealed her movements to him. The arching leap, the spin, the chakra extending into strings, attaching to her flying weapons.

He knew perfectly the way she could manipulate all those weapons equally, as if she were doing nothing more difficult than handling one. How seemingly without effort she could control all of them with an accuracy that was mindblowing. The way that the weapons would pass you once, only to turn in midair and restrike and restrike, searching for that slip, that momentary weakness. She truely was the perfect training partner for his Byukyugan and the Kaiten.

Eventually she would pause, and signal end. Sometimes she would not stop until one of them was out of chakra, one of them, usually him collaspsing onto the ground panting, feeling the stinging ache that signalled chakra depletion. Tenten could conserve her chakra, keeping him defending with his Kaiten until he couldn't stand. She was the only living person outside the Hyuugas who had practice in that.

Opening his eyes, he tilted his head up looking at the brown haired kunoichi inching head first down the tree trunk, a kunai in her mouth. She frowned in frustration as he gave a superior smirk. A tendril of hair escaped from her habitual buns, leaves and twigs marking the difficult path she'd chosen to try and sneak up on him. Neji reached up and touched the wisp of hair dangling before her eyes. She jerked her head back, baring her teeth around the kunai. Neji could feel the annoyance rolling off her and the way her muscles ached in the awkard position. He smirked again and smoothly stood up. Before Tenten could drop to the ground he took the wisp of hair again and tucked it back into her careful buns, then he pulled out the biggest leaves. Tenten watched him her eyes wide.

Carefully and with the most condescending smile he could muster he patted her on the head and turned away. Tenten's eyes narrowed, Neji could almost hear her blood boil. He didn't know where this sudden desire to best him had come from, but it certainly made training more interesting. He dropped his forehead protector beside the tree and left his hair free for the wind to play with. He really was in an unusually good mood.

"Come Tenten." Was all he said.

It was certainly a good thing he knew her movements so well, he reflected later, or that first kunai would've really hurt.

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Slowly slowly, Neji moves slowly. I'm ripping my hair out, how can he move soooo slowly! Damn characterisation.

As usual let me know if you think I've gone OOC, and let me know where!


	3. Errands

Oof, volia I'm back I think Neji skidded a little out of character in this chapter, but I by the end he slides right back in. I figure he's a guy that just doesn't realise his own emotional depths yet. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Even with all my hard work, I still can't claim Naruto or it's characters as mine. gah, the unfairity of it!

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**Errands**

**Konoha Market**

Neji surveyed Hanabi-sama and Tenten with a sense of relief. Of course none of his close brush with death showed on his face. A man could only take being asked about hair accessories for a certain amount of time before he did himself serious damage. The asker being Hanabi-sama meant he couldn't simply brush the questions aside as ridiculous.

A hair tie was a hair tie was a hair tie. It was invariably black and strong and practical, that was the extent of his knowledge of hair accessories. Thankfully just before Hanabi had reacted violently to his lack of enthusiam, or worse made him try things so she could compare them, Tenten had passed by.

He didn't know how she'd guessed, but she'd immediately offered to help Hanabi choose her _things_. Freeing him and giving him the slightly less boring task of watching them flitter around the stands. Hanabi-sama seemed happy, she finally had someone who answered with more than grunts. He watched as Tenten chose and rejected item after item with Hanabi close by. He didn't wonder about the femine mystery, he just accepted that it was there and ignored it.

But recently being Hanabi's 'protector' meant his face being shoved more and more fully into the intricate differences between men and almost women. Like using the public baths in groups, what was that? Spending 2 hours eating a snack meal with a group of chattering girls, the need to buy things she barely ever wore outside of school. Tenten wasn't like that, why weren't other girls like her?

Of course she wasn't exactly acting normally right now, Neji noted with concern as Tenten _giggled_. She never giggled. She snorted, she laughed, she sighed, she groaned with disbelief over Lee but she never giggled. Was it possible that there were things he didn't know about her?

Neji snorted in derision. Of course not, he knew everything about Tenten, and she knew everything about him. Like his curse seal, his blind spot, and the limits of his abilities. He even knew how she like her nabe made. And yet watching her giggle made him wonder if she was in fact _female_, and not just the training machine that Lee and he were. He knew she was _female_, weaker in combat, softer in instincts, slightly less speed, slightly less everything, but not _female_, with giggling, and hair accessories.

Neji watched with worry as Tenten lifted a huge pink flower clip from the stand and placed it in her hair, showing Hanabi. He had to bite his lip to stop himself from commenting, but he didn't stop the grimace quickly enough. Hanabi looked at him mouth open for a second then said to Tenten that she thought it wasn't her. Tenten gave a laugh and replaced it. She picked out a clip with sparkling stones in. Neji considered it as Tenten held it against her hair for Hanabi to see. Finally he gave a slight frown, Hanabi shook her head and Tenten placed it down dissapointed. Hanabi slipped him a curious look, which Neji duly ignored. Tenten was busy chosing another clip.

After vetoing several more clips, Neji saw the piece for her. A simple five petaled white flower, not shiny but the colour seemed to glow in the sun. It was a type of stick thing that women stuck into twisted complicated hair styles. But he thought she could put it into her buns just fine. If only she would look over here and see it, he was sure she would choose it herself. Only, only she was with Hanabi and they were leaving, and the stick thingie, it was still there, and she hadn't seen it. He hesitated then snorting at his own stupidity he walked away from the stall.

He prayed they wouldn't find something else _female_ to do. They chose a tea shop and beckoned Neji to join them. At least with a cup of tea in his hands he'd have something to do while they chatted. Sighing Neji sat down next to Hanabi blocking her against the wall and therefore putting himself between her and any lunatic that might arrive. Tenten sat opposite and then the _female_ stuff started happening.

Under his uncomprehending eyes, they took out the hair pieces Hanabi had chosen with Tenten's help and they looked at them, _again_. As if they hadn't looked at them enough already at the stall. They turned them over, held them against Hanabi's hair and laughed and talked, and decided what Hanabi would wear with them.

Neji found if he concentrated on the little patch of table under Tenten's hands he could ignore most of the annoying banter. So he concentrated on the way her hands were slightly rough from so much weapon work, the way her nails were clean and short, the way her hands gestured with some phrases, the deft manner she handled the clips with. He jerked back when Hanabi hit his shoulder in annoyance.

He blinked when she asked him his opinion on a clip she had put into her hair. He looked at the clip and thought it wasn't that much different from having nothing in her hair. Fortunately he was more intelligent than to say it, so he shrugged in a non commital answer. Hanabi rolled her eyes and turned to Tenten again.

Neji was eventually saved from hanging himself by the arrival of Hanabi's team mates. Hanabi jumped up to greet them a little too quickly for Neji's liking. After all he knew almost nothing about the two young boys, he didn't see what there was to get so excited over. He relaxed the forbidding stare on his face as their sensei arrived.

The arrival of Hanabi's sensei meant that his supervision was no longer needed. Bowing to the Jounin, Neji left. Or tried to, he got stuck at the door, Tenten wasn't following him. Tenten always followed him. It was..._traditional_, he went somewhere and she followed, they were a team damn it. Yet there she was not following, he wouldn't have minded really, after all she was a completely separate, free willed individual, if she chose to not to follow him she was certainly within her rights.

What he minded was that she was not following because she was busy chatting to another man. And giggling, did he mention the giggling? He only noticed the intense frown on his face when the people trying leave the restuarant around him, (as he'd rudely placed himself in the middle of the door effectively blocking all entrance and exit,) decided that sitting down and waiting for the angry shinobi to leave would be better.

Who did that Jounin think he was anyway, flirting with her like that? It was unseemly in public, in front of him, er, Hanabi, what kind of example was he setting for him, er, her? Look at him joking and...wait, he didn't, did he just touch Tenten? Okay it was on the arm, but casual public touching between the sexes, what was the world coming to!

Neji forced himself to calm down, a public outburst would only humilate him, and who knew how Hiashi-sama would take the news of such an embarrassment. Brawling in public over a conversation,... and the touching! He shuddered to think of the punishment for such behaviour. Turning on his heel, he stalked out of the tea shop seeing only red.

Coming to decision he turned again and strode back to the stall for hair accessories. He almost, _almost,_ pulled his hair out when he found that Tenten's stick thingie was gone. Hadn't the stall owner realised that it was for Tenten and that he would've come back later to buy it for her?

_Dumbass._ He growled silently insulting the stall owner.

Surprised at himself Neji felt as if a bucket of cold water had just been dumped over him. He was starting to talk like Naruto. Thank goodness it was only in his head, but what was he thinking? What the hell was the problem with him. So Tenten was discussing something funny with Hanabi's sensei, so what? It was nothing to do with him if she wanted to _talk_ to other men. It wasn't like she was going to start ignoring him, er, the team.

Shaking his head to empty his mind of the last lingering doubts, Neji ran his eyes over the other pieces.

_Might as well choose something, after all a little gift between teammates is okay. I think her birthday is coming up, this year... or the next._ Neji thought to himself, embarrassed when he realised that he didn't know Tenten's birthday.

It seemed stupid that they'd been teammates for almost 6 years and he didn't know her birth date. Come to think of it he didn't know Lee's or Gai-sensei's either. It seemed wrong not to know such a thing about people he might die next to. He tried to remember if they'd ever offered him a birthday present, or at least a happy birthday. Not that he was accustomed to receiving anything for his birthdays. After his father died, there was noone who cared enough to remember such a trivial thing.

He remember way back in the beginning of their team, Tenten and Lee had tried. They'd asked him his birthday, he'd brushed them off. But afterwards they'd checked Gai-sensei's file on him and they'd offered him little presents and wished him happy birthday. He winced remembering his less than enthousiatic response. No wonder they'd dropped trying to wish him happy birthday.

He tried to remember if he'd ever offered them a happy birthday. No, no, he didn't remember ever doing anything like that, he almost felt like blushing at his rudeness. He remembered slipping out of birthday dinners as well. They just hadn't seemed so important, even after his Naruto ephihany during the infamous Chunnin Exams, little things like birthdays just slipped under his radar.

He'd smiled, for crying out loud, not often of course he had a reputation for solid respectability to live up to, a Hyuuga standard of behaviour, but he'd opened up. He was sure he had, shown his teammates they were important to him. Who did they think he did all that training for? All that perfecting, and working and sacrifice?

_Okay so I don't wish them happy birthday, or giggle with them, or talk casually, or TOUCH THEIR ARM!_ Panting Neji realised he was working himself up into a rage again.

Smoothing his hair down with trembling hands he returned to searching for a gift for Tenten.

So they thought he didn't care did they? Thought he never thought of them? Well he'd show them, he'd buy them presents and then all those years of missed birthdays would just be paid for and, and, well things would be balanced again. They would know then, that he, Hyuuga Neji, thought _highly_ of them.

Pleased with himself, Neji stared at the trays of items. He ignored the flowers, too girly, decided against the hair pieces disguising weapons, she had alot of those. He wanted something that spoke to her female side, the one he'd had a glimpse of today. He'd show that laughing Jounin who knew Tenten the best.

Gritting his teeth in irritation Neji searched and searched finding nothing.

"Sir? If these don't please you, perphaps I have something here that would please you more?" The shop keeper's pleasant voice said.

Neji flicked his eyes up to him irritated. They widened when he saw the tray being offered. Here were pieces of rare beauty, and rare price Neji thought raising his eyebrows as he calculated the cost. Still no matter, he had to choose a gift that would show each of his team mates that he thought highly of them.

He scanned the pieces finding it hard to choose between them. A red lily shaped clip that would fan her hair out into a pony tail? A solid gold coloured pair of barettes with darker swirling patterns carved into them? A complicated knot decorated with birds drew his eye for a moment, but he couldn't even figure out what it was for, so he passed over it. He wished he'd just brought the little stick thingie when he'd first seen it.

He paused when a little white glow caught his eye. A pair of sky blue barettes sat in one corner, they were decorated with flying white birds and in one corner there was a hint of sunlight streaming down. The enamel work was beautiful and the separating gold wires were so fine he thought they seemed like auras of happiness around the little birds.

He indicated the barettes silently and paid the price without flinching. It left him with almost nothing in his pocket but he was content to have brought a present. Of course now he had really no idea what to buy Lee or Gai-sensei, if only he had a little help. Or the faintest idea of what might please them. As ninja it would be easy, but as people? Not a clue.

Neji faintly wondered if he really was such a genius if he'd failed to notice such things about the people the most important to him in the world. Taking a seat at a food stand he dipped slowly on a tea and tried to concentrate on his teammates trying to guess what would please them. It kind of hurt to think in an utterly new direction, but Neji was determined to show his teammates that he cared.

Afterall it was the right thing to do, show people you appreciated them. So deeply was he entrenched in his complicated thinking that he didn't react when Tenten slipped into the seat next to him. It wasn't until she reached across him for the hot sauce that he jerked out of his thoughts and blinked at her surprised. She smiled and went back to eating her food. Neji felt a slow smile grow on his face and he slipped his hand into his pocket fingering the package there.

Feeling a sense of contentment growing in him he looked up to order only to have a plate of his favourite snack already placed before him. He glanced at Tenten who grinned back, Neji looked down at meal and thought about how lucky he was to have teammates who thought of him so often.

"Tenten?" Neji said softly.

She looked up waiting.

"Itadakimasu."

Tenten grinned.

"Itadakimasu Neji."


	4. Recovery

I couldn't help it, in this one I just had to add in a little veiw point from Tenten.

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. Not even Neji. Sigh.

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**Recovery**

**Konoha Hospital**

_That,_ Neji reflected with as little movement as possible, _was not the most successfully completed mission ever._

The lack of perfection irritated him, almost as much as his injuries, almost as much as the fluttering nurses. He must have been checked at least a dozen times by a dozen different nurses, and the glints in their eyes as they asked him if he needed a sponge bath yet, still sent shudders down his spine. He was firmly decided to rest stinky until he was let out to go home, and if his stink that meant the nurses stayed away all the better.

It wasn't that he was _afraid_ as such, no, but all that predatory attention was...unnerving, that's how he felt unnerved, not panicked at all. If he was feeling the slightess bit nervous it was the fault of all the medication they were pumping into him. Yet another nurse poked her head into the room for no apparent reason and then withdrew after giving his bandaged yet distressingly bare chest a good look. Did those women not have other patients to inflict themselves onto?

His only relief were the irregulier visits from Lee and Gai-sensei. But even they could not be there all day to protect him from the subtle and not so subtle sexual avances of the nurses. Of course he'd rather die than ask them for help, his was the path of the stoic warrior and it wasn't the path of the panic striken pleading for protection from the hoards of advancing nurses. At least his agitated imagination provided hoards of advancing nurses, night had not yet fallen so he didn't know for sure, but he imagined and he didn't like his imagination.

He knew there were other shinobi who believed he was either gay or an ennuch the way he avoided female company, he personally knew half a dozen male and some female shinobi who would kill to be in his overly coverted position. The thing was, women terrified him, try growing up in a household where the majority of women from the youngest to the oldest held the ability to fry your brain if you displeased them and you grew up scared. Since he'd hit puberty and come to really understand some of the more veiled looks women gave, he'd held a secret fear.

At first he'd added it to the list of his perfections, his qualities which rendered his curse seal even more undeserved, until he'd realised one day that being the object of desire when you had no power to stop the desirer was not an enviable position. He'd just been made a genin barely able to comprehend the implusions that had driven his head family cousin to order him to her room one day. Barely able to respond to her demands, her pressure, fear paralysing him, fear of the curse seal, of displeasing her enough that she would use it, sick helpless anger.

If Hinata-sama hadn't heard his whimpered protests and opened the door the faintest flush of anger on her normally crestfallen face, he didn't know what would've have happened. But it was enough to make him hate the head family even more, to hate his curse seal for making him so weak as to need the protection of the family loser, to hate Hinata-sama for ever having seen him in such a position, to hate her for having the power to protect him.

To fear women in a position of power over him had become natural to him. For him women were seperated into two groups, those he was constrained to obey and therefore fear and those he was stronger than and therefore not afraid of. Nurses fell into the first group, especially when he was too injured to effectively use his techniques. He didn't even think about Tsunade-sama, he just obeyed.

The sky grew darker and Neji shifted uneasily in his bed. A part of him knew he was being riduculous, that he was older, stronger, respected, that he still had at least one kunai for defense under his left leg. He tried to lean back more comfortably against his pillow, tried to look as bored and unaffected as possible. If only he would stop imagining things, stop almost cringing at the sound of passing footsteps. If only he had at least one room mate, preferably male, he could relax, but no, Hyuuga's got private rooms. Yippee.

The room got darker and darker and Neji's thoughts became more random as the medication fought to make him sleep while his paranoia fought to keep him awake. As a method to keep himself alert he tried picking apart the last mission, focusing on finding his errors so he could avoid future mistakes.

But as many times as he tried to rethink it he always came to the same inescapable conclusion, Tenten had screwed up, and it had almost cost him his life. She was supposed to have searched the contact for hidden weapons before he met with Neji. Obviously she'd missed one or two, because, well, here he was in hospital. Not that he held anything against her, it was a mistake, and if his stupid disguise hadn't by neccessity been too tight to allow him to quickly use his Juken moves he would've been just fine.

Mistakes happened, even to the perfect, and he couldn't really hold a grudge against Tenten, that was just stupid, because he had to trust his life to her everyday. Just she trusted hers to him and Lee, it was teamwork. However, and at this thought his normally unperturbed face frowned, she could've turned up to wish him well, or say sorry, or beg his forgiveness, or cry over his broken body or something. True this was his first full day awake not drugged into a stupor, but he'd asked Lee if she'd been by while he'd been KOed on medication. Lee'd said she'd been busy somewhere else.

_Busy somewhere else_. Neji snorted, shifting again so the point of the kunai pushed into his thigh keeping him awake.

He almost pouted thinking about it, almost, but the damned medication hadn't ruined that much of his self control. The growing panic he was feeling was also due to the medication he was sure. Damn nurses, probably did it on purpose. Biting his lip in annoyance he touched his exposed seal from habit, the pull on his bandages reminding him how even that normally calming move was a bad idea. Damn nurses probably did that on purpose as well.

He wished they'd left his forehead protector on, or at least have let Lee bandage his head. Lee had tried to bandage Neji's forehead out of politeness for Neji, even brought his own bandages. Lee knew how much Neji did not like showing his seal to all and sundry, but for some strange reason he'd been told it was bad for Neji's health. Damn nurses.

The panic was rising in his throat and he had to clench his hands in the bedspread hard to stop himself from grabbing the kunai and brandishing it at every sound. He had to speak to Gai-sensei get him to ask them to down the amount of medication he was on, this just wasn't normal for him. This panic, this lack of control, this being weak. It reminded him too much of that other time, that other room. His breathing became louder, more hurried. The sound of approaching footsteps pushing his long disused panic buttons and he pushed open his byukyugan even though it made his eyes burn.

He scanned the area, his hand coming unnoticed up into a defensive position clutching his kunai. His byukyugan flickered and swayed or maybe that was just him, the person passed his room without pausing opening a door further along and dissapearing into the room beyond the range of his weakened sight.

The movement in the trees outside drew his attention and without turning his head he extended his vision into the greenery.

Tenten knelt on a branch not far from his window reguarding his tense body. In a flush of heat he realised how ridiculous he looked. He dropped the kunai and leaned back into his pillow his head still turned away from her, even though he watched her with his byukyugan, even though he knew, she knew he was using his byukyugan to watch her. Settling back against the tree she drew out a book and opening it at a marked page began reading again.

She'd been there all along he realised, probably every night, the tree was too well prepared for an all night vigil for this to be a quick visit. There were books and a blanket, she even had snacks. Neji almost chuckled over her sugar addiction. Tenten popped a sweet into her mouth as if in defiance of his mocking. The moon was high giving a lot of light, but she was an expert at blending in with the background.

She knew, he thought to himself, she knew that he would feel panicked being a strange place, helpless, surrounded by people he didn't know. So she came to watch over him, in a way that 1, wouldn't get her thrown out of the hospital, 2, wouldn't end up running some stupid rumor about the two of them all over the village, and 3, wouldn't step on his fragile ego too much. He knew he had a big ego when it came to never needing help or protection but he couldn't help it, everyone expected him to be perfect.

With her there he felt he could almost sleep tonight, almost, there was still that tiny worry that she would fall asleep, she had to be tired after the mission. He tried to tell himself that Tenten had never fallen asleep on guard duty before and she wouldn't start now, and he just needed to stop letting the medication get to him and get to sleep. He was Hyuuga Neji for crying out loud and he could handle the situation without running for help.

He almost didn't hear it at first, the sound of his grinding teeth blocked it out, but it filtered through his panic and started to sooth him immediately, as she'd known it would. She was playing her flute, softly so she didn't disturb anyone else, and she was playing that song she always played when they were on mission, just the team...

His eyes blinked slowly.

_And they were alone in the woods on their way back home after a successful mission_.

He yawned but didn't really notice it.

And Lee and Gai-sensei were quiet for once, and they were all sitting around the fire, safe inside the patrolled forests surrounding Konoha village.

He shifted against the soft pillows sliding lower down until he was almost flat on his back.

And Tenten would draw out the flute fitting it together and put it to her lips drawing her breath in holding it an exquisite instant before starting to play.

He yawned again, wider this time and felt his eyelids droop.

He loved that instant before she started playing, he would lean his head back against a tree and close his eyes and let himself imagine the music she was playing. She was no virtuoso, but when she played it meant the mission was over and successful, they were one night away from home, they were safe...

Tenten looked down at her sleeping teammate, aware her cheeks were much too pink. She never allowed herself to look at Neji like this, it seemed wrong somehow to look at him and want him when he was no position to decide if he wanted to be looked at that way, by her. But even the strongest of self controls cannot withstand such obvious temptation.

He was, she said to herself, the most beautiful man she'd ever seen, and semi-nude he was so beautiful she wanted to cry with the need to touch that perfection. But there was her respect for him, and the fact that if she did try anything when he was so weak, so addled by the medicine, it would only leave a bitter taste in her mouth afterwards. Not to mention his justified loathing of her.

So she looked at him and drew her eyes up his body, over his mussed hair, and the startling fragility around his shadowed eyes and the tightly held mouth. She loved him from afar as she'd never let herself do before, and it brought tears to her eyes to think he might never return those carresses. But she was Tenten and she never left a teammate without cover no matter what the cost. And what were a few tears to protect the man she loved?


	5. Hot Water

The story is not over yet. It gets harder this chapter as we actually get an inside peek at the Hyuugas. I don't know how I'll work around the revelation of this chapter, but I promise I won't throw in the towel easily! GO NEJITENTEN!

Disclaimer; found floating in a bathtub somewhere was the shocking proclomation that Naruto etc... does not belong to me. Booh.

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**Hot Water**

**Hyuuga Bathhouse**

Neji was not hiding, at least he told himself he was not hiding. His was a tactical retreat in the face of greater numbers, and he did not feel the least bit stupid about being up to his nose in _hot_ water while fully dressed. No siree. In fact bathing fully dressed was benefical for his health, no wait, it was a part of his training, yes that was it. He was practicing his juken techniques in case he ever had to fight up to his nose in water again. Hey, Mist and Rain ninja were dangerous.

Giggling from outside in the garden made Neji dip lower in the bath until his lower eyelashes touched the water. Familiar curses against the head family floated away in bubbles from Neji's mouth.

Damn Hiashi-sama for being lenient enough to allow Hanabi to have a sleepover. Damn Hanabi-sama from having so many overtly flirtatious little girlfriends, damn the little witches for being too young to suffer from his Juken moves. Even Ino wasn't as bad as this little lot of vampires, no wait the only difference was she at least had a healthy respect for his skills and therefore limited the actual physical touching. These little werewolves used the difference in age to their advantage. If he had to piggy back one more 12 year old who claimed to have twisted her ankle he'd really snap their little legs. Or if one more leaped on him claiming to be terrified of shadows in this 'bwig swary houwse', he'd show them something to really be afraid of.

Neji crossed his arms and frowned, it wasn't fair, why did he have to put up with this kind of treatment? Sasuke had this cold 'do not touch' thing going on, why couldn't he get the same message through to the little blockheads? Neji grumbled a little more for good measure then decided to get out and try hiding in his room. The branch house should be off limits, even for personal friends of the daughter of the family head. He hoped. At least it would be cooler than here.

He had one hand on the bath's edge, (the word 'bath' is being stretched here as the Hyuuga Bathhouse was doted with a large indoor naturally heated rock pool the size of your average olympic swimming pool, but you get the idea,) when he heard it.

"...and so Neji ran away?" Tenten's voice scoffed from the other side.

Neji turned red and glared at the wall partition between the men's and women's baths. How could she think he'd done that? He had half a mind to tell her off, but he was getting out already.

"With his _tail_ between his legs? Or did he leave that in the tender care of those little darlings?" Ino asked snorting.

Neji stopped dead.

"Ino!" Came Sakura's shocked voice.

"What? It was a metaphor." Ino protested with false innocence.

"Like hell." Sakura said unimpressed.

Neji nodded his agreement. He slipped back into the water and waded silently across the bath until he was beside the wall and could hear more clearly everything they said about him. After all it wasn't really eavesdropping when the subject they were talking about was you, it was more like self defense.

"You won't tell Neji that I told you, will you?" Hinata's soft voice asked worriedly.

Ah ha! So she was the traitor.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sakura's voice promised.

"Of course not." Tenten said.

Everyone waited for the third person to speak up.

"Ok, ok, I promise too." Ino's voice complained.

The sound of splashing water covered the banal requests for soap and shampoo, it wasn't until Tenten made a simple request that a basic fact became abundantly clear to Neji.

"Sakura could you wash my back please?"

They, at least, were not bathing fully dressed. Embarrassment pushed him away from the wall, how could he have even considered eavesdropping on them while they were bathing? What kind of pervert spied on young women bathing? The grinning heads of Jiraya-sama, Naruto and Kiba popped into his head. Neji had reached the middle of the bath when he heard.

"So Tenten, Hinata, is it true that Neji's gay?" Ino's voice floated across.

Neji was suddenly back at the wall ear pressed against the wet stone.

An uncomfortable silence followed. Neji frowned, why weren't they saying no immediately? He wasn't gay, they had to know that, right?

"Well," Hinata's voice started, "he's never shown any interest in any of the guys, so I guess not."

Neji almost banged his head against the wall.

"But he's not exactly showing any interest in the girls either." Ino's voice reminded them. "And the Kamis know I've tried to open the boy up."

The sound of a snapping towel echoed over the partition wall and a sharp yelp came from one of the girls.

"You've probably scared him off women for life." Sakura's voice dripped with amusement.

"Hey you are not blaming Neji's gayness on me!" Ino's voice complained. "Either you're born gay or you're not."

"So you reckon Neji's gay 'cause he hasn't taken you up on one of your oh so blatant 'let's get to know each other better' invitations?" Sakura's voice replied with thick sarcasm.

"Watch it forehead girl, you're not big for me to whup right here, right now."

"Bring it on Ino-pig."

Neji had a sudden, and highly inappropriate image. His already red cheeks reddening he pushed away from the wall and strode quickly towards the edge.

"So what do you think Tenten?" Hinata asked.

Neji returned to the wall just as quickly, cursing silently under his breath at his own weakness. Surely his own teammate would know he wasn't gay.

"Hmmmmm." Tenten hummed.

Neji's heart sank.

Could it be he really was gay? Thinking carefully he tried to imagine some of the guys he knew in _that_ way. He started with the obvious, Sasuke, because hell, the guy was pretty, but nothing much seemed to be moving for him, though he was heating up a little. Feh probably the embarrassment from doing such a stupid thing. Neji tried again just in case, Naruto, because maybe blondes were his thing. Nadda, even a slight revulsion when he thought about the ramen breath Naruto probably continually had. Kiba, worse than Naruto, guy had a wet dog smell, Chouji? Barbeque smell, Shikamaru? Guy was too lazy to wash his hair regularly, it smelled like, like, unwashed hair. Shino? Neji shuddered. Nope, there it was, he gave a sigh of relief, he wasn't gay, at least he was pretty sure he wasn't.

"I don't think he's gay," Tenten's voice started uncertainly.

Neji silently thanked his teammate and promised to buy an extra large bag of her favourite toffees as a thankyou.

"But he might be afraid of women." Tenten's voice finished.

Neji almost fell face first into the hot water.

"Whaaaaat?" Ino's voice was full of disbelief. "The man can take down small armies and you're saying he's afraid of women?"

"It's just a feeling I get when he's around other women. Especially women he doesn't know well." Tenten voice sounded unsure.

Neji pressed even closer to the wall ignoring the rising heat in his face.

"Hmmm, the question is why would he be afraid of women?" Sakura's voice sounded breathless. "Is it just me, or it getting hotter in here?"

"There's a new steam room next door, the extra steam is pumped through here, it's supposed to be really good for the health." Hinata's voice sounded a little breathless as well.

"So back to the important news, why is Neji afraid of women?" Ino voice piped up. "Uh, you don't think it could be my fault?"

Neji nodded furiously, but stopped as it made his head spin. They should just blame it on Ino and move away from the subject, he wasn't afraid of women, that was stupid, he was just suitably wary. Afterall a guy didn't have to be one big ball of hormones to be straight, he was just waiting for the right moment, and the right person. He was, he told himself, an old fashioned romantic. Leave the skirt chasing to the guys with their brains in their pants like Naruto and Kiba.

"It could be childhood trauma." Sakura's voice sounded further away now. "Or the result of a bad experience. Alot of Kunoichi suffer from this kind fear after... well you know."

The girls stayed silent while.

"I heard Hiroko was being released soon." Hinata's voice was quiet.

"Yeah, but mentally she's not ready for active missions again. She's going to follow treatment and Tsunade-sama will pass judgement in about six months."

"Give her our best." Hinata's voice said quietly.

"How are Yoshi and Keitaro taking it?" Tenten's voice sounded faint.

"They've been assigned a new team member for the time it takes Hiroko to recover, but it's not sure she will recover enough to stay on active duty. They're doing okay, just the normal guilt, but they've been really great trying to support her."

"So," Ino sounded like a dog with a favourite bone, "you think Neji has suffered some great trauma involving a, or many, women, who are not me, and now has a fear of women which stops him from enjoyig normal young adult fun?"

"Now I see why your speciality is information gathering Ino. You just don't let go."Tenten voice sounded impressed.

"Well let's go to the source." Sakura's voice said reasonably. "Hinata?"

"Me? I didn't do anything to him! He's my cousin, and..." Hinata sounded so much further far away than before.

"Not you, but do you know if anything happened to him when he was younger?" Ino's voice sounded impaitent but it was weak and hard to tell.

Neji wiped the sweat from his face, climbing a little up the slick wall to get away from the hot water. At the same time he mentally begged his cousin not to tell the others about _that_ time. If only she didn't tell anyone about finding him with that _women_, he just couldn't call her a cousin, he wouldn't have to change his identity and go missing nin. The mere idea that the others might find out he'd almost been the victim of molestation made him cringe. He'd worked too hard on his image of perfection for it to be ruined now.

Neji waited desperately as Hinata's stuttering voice tried to avoid the questioning. If there was one thing you could say about the girl, it was that she was extremely loyal Neji thought, silently praying that his gentle cousin didn't fold under the pressure.

"Well...you know that Neji's mother died when he was born, and well, the terrible loss of his father when he was only a child. After that he was mostly raised by the other males from the branch house, so I guess maybe he doesn't have much experience with women." Hinata's voice sounded unsure.

"Man doesn't want any experience is the problem." Ino's voice sniffed.

A lengthy silence followed.

"Okay, okay, I admit it I was in the wrong to have chased Neji before, but really Tenten if you don't mark your territory how do expect other women to know to keep their hands off?" Ino's grumbles were heard even by Neji.

"So why, may I ask oh angel of virtue, haven't you stopped?" Sakura's voice sounded about as sincere as Kakashi-sensei's famous late excuses.

"I'm helping Tenten out." Ino sounded very sure of herself.

Again silence followed the remark.

"Hey! I mean, if the guy can just realise that there is a difference between men and women and not just on the battle field then I figure he'll realise that Tenten is one fine example of women hood and will actually try molesting her once and a while." Ino's flippant voice was met with a round of shocked 'Ino!'s.

"What? Stop pretending you have absolutely no hormones." Ino sounded somewhere between hurt and angry. "Stop making out that I'm some sort of slut for admitting that I have."

Neji felt his hands slipping on the wet wall and reconcentrated on sticking to the wall. It was getting hard to see with all this steam, and the heat was getting worse. He considered just getting out, it seemed the conversation was turning away from him and so he really didn't have any excuses for staying, and it really was getting too hot in here, someone must have forgotton to shut the steam evacuation pipe again.

"Tenten, if you admit out loud that if Neji were to suddenly jump out at you naked and demand sex you'd say yes, I'll lay off Neji for good. Word of honour." Ino's voice suddenly sounded so very far away and Neji was finding it very difficult stop the spinning in his head.

He tried to listen for the reponse, he wasn't sure why, but it was important for a reason that he couldn't think of because of the heat. The damn heat.

_Should've gotton undressed. _Neji thought as he tumbled head first into the hot water below.

**Neji's Bedroom, Hyuuga Compound**

Neji sat up on his futon, red as a tomato, and not from his recent heat stroke. Beside him Hinata knelt, a cold compress in her hands, concern in her eyes.

"Do you feel better now Neji-kun?" She asked.

Neji nodded stiffy, eyes fixed on the wall at the end of his futon, humiliation rooting him to the spot. How could he, Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Hyuuga Clan, shining example of Konoha ninjahood, be found floating in a bath fully dressed, facedown with a nosebleed, apparently caught in the act of spying on a group of young ladies bathing? It was a humilation like he had never before suffered. He could imagine now the snickers which would follow him everywhere, the outright laughs that Kiba and Naruto would direct towards him. He deserved to be dead for having behaved in such a shameful manner. Crawling to his knees he abased himself infront of Hinata, his forehead touching the ground.

"Hinata-sama! I present all my excuses to you. Never did I wish to embrass you or the family, I will of course submit myself to any punishment you think is necessary. I will of course present my excuses personally to your friends and beg them not to think that my behaviour is a reflection on the Hyuuga family..." He trailed off as Hinata's tsking broke through his inhabitual babbling.

"Neji you're being too emotional." Hinata said in a tone that mimicked the voice of a particularly Hyuugaish Aunt of theirs.

Neji blushed ever so slightly at the admonition raised his head to bow again before sitting up staring at his clasped hands, resting on his knees.

"I do have one question though." Hinata asked staring at the wet towel in her hands.

Neji nodded silently, it was an obvious question.

"You...you didn't use your Byukyugan, did you." Hinata said it as a statement not a question.

Neji smiled slightly, at least some of his reputation was intact, he thanked his cousin for that.

"No, Hinata-sama, I never have, and I never will use my Byukyugan for such a low purpose." Neji said calmly.

Hinata nodded fast.

"Of course."

An awkard silence followed, Neji wondered why Hinata had not gotten up to leave. Did his cousin have something else to say? He pinched closed the open front of his sleeping robe. As an act of revenge Sakura and Ino had insisted on trying to strip him themselves. Sakura at least had the decency to claim that it would be dangerous to his health to stay in his wet clothes. Neji had of course been unconsious at the time. Apparently Tenten and Hinata had protected his honour by pushing the two girls out and sending them searching for cold water and compresses while Hinata wrestled him out of most of his wet clothes and into his sleeping robe.

Finally Tenten had to help her lift his upper body, but at least it hadn't been some stranger. At least it hadn't been Ino, shudder, or Sakura. Naruto wasn't exactly the type to share more than he had to. He'd woken a little while after that but Tenten had already hearded the other two away. Hinata had stayed.

"I have humiliated myself with my behaviour, worse I have humiliated you in front of your friends." Neji said quietly.

"Oh no, I'm not embarrassed. We-we're are more embarrassed about ou-our topic of conversation." Hinata's voice dwindled away in embarrasment.

"I should not have been listening." Neji repeated firmly.

"We should not have been gossiping like that." Hinata said a strong red in each cheek.

Again the two cousins fell silent, and again Hinata did not leave.

"Do you have a question for me Hinata-sama?" Neji asked gently.

"Y-yes, we were...I was wondering if you...felt a certain way about...well..." She stammered, unsure of how to broach such a personal subject.

"Am I gay?" Neji asked, enjoying the shocked look on Hinata's face as her head snapped up to automatically deny any such thought.

"I don't think so." He said. "I haven't thought about it much, the family will choose me a bride from amoungst our cousins. It would be silly to develop feelings towards anyone that the family is unlikely to choose."

Hinata nodded. The idea of an arranged marriage within her family to protect the Byukyugan, always to protect the Byukyugan, was a familiar one. In some small part of herself she knew that it would probably be her fate as well. But she hadn't yet given up, Naruto was now forever out of reach, unless Sakura and Sasuke died, but still she was holding on to something. An undefined dream that as yet had no face but she waited paitently. It hurt to think that her cousin had never held that dream at all. She opened her mouth to offer some comfort or wisdom, but found her mind blank.

Neji wondered if she would stay much longer, the hate he'd felt towards her had melted years before, but he wanted to be left alone. Especially if she was going to keep asking such personal questions, subjects which were never brought up in their family. Love was not important for a Hyuuga, sex outside of a marriage, the risk of a Hyuuga baby born outside of Hyuuga control was forbidden. Limit, a Hyuuga female could risk it, the baby would be born within the family, and the father if unwilling, or unsuitable, was 'encouraged' to sign away all rights to the child. A thing which was harder to do if the mother was not a Hyuuga. Any baby born outside of a Hyuuga chosen marriage was almost always relegated into the branch house with the mother. After all such a baby would be only half a Hyuuga, and unfailing weaker than their full Hyuuga cousins.

It was not something Neji wanted to think about alot.

"You know Neji-kun, things...change, things don't always have to be so...so..." Hinata trailed off again unsure of what exactly she wanted to say.

She didn't want to imply that all the Hyuuga traditions were bad, but she couldn't think of the word to express that sentiment. But in the end it didn't matter because they were cousins, they had grown up in the same place, the same family, carrying the same burdens. He understood her even without words. Like now.

Neji placed a warm hand over Hinata's and gave her a small, rare smile of encouragement. Hinata smiled softly back. Theirs was a life defined by codes and regulations laid out well before the birth of even their parents. Life was not a frivoulous thing, great things had been accomplished and would be accomplished by the family. Alone they were nothing.

And yet...and yet...

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For anyone who might be wondering, no the story is not over yet. I just got my stubborn up! CHAAAARRRGE!


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